As you research your ancestry back in time, you will always encounter a major challenge: a language you do not know. Because languages change over time, this occurs even when your ancestors come from the same geographic location you currently live in. This challenge can be more immediately encountered when your ancestors were immigrants from a country with a language that you do not speak.
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What should I do when I discover my ancestors spoke a different language than I do?
You may discover your ancestors spoke an unknown language from letters or documents that you can’t read. When this happens, the first step in understanding and then doing genealogical research in an ancestor’s unfamiliar language is to identify the language. This could be easy if the language is one currently spoken by people all over the world, such as English, Chinese, Spanish, French, or German, but it can be a bigger challenge to identify a language that is less commonly used. If you know the time and the place where your ancestors came from, a quick search online could tell you the languages spoken in that area. However, the real challenge is when the language is spoken by only a small community of people, such as an ancestor that comes from the Basque region in Spain.
Where do I look to identify an unknown language?
The internet has made identifying an unknown language much easier than it was in the past. Here are examples of three tools to begin the process of identifying a language.
- Google Translate can identify and translate 108 languages. Using the Translate app, you can translate text from images on your phone or from your computer depending on the clarity of the text. You can also translate text from a document on the internet but not a handwritten or scanned document.
- What Language Is This can identify any language when you paste or type text into it, although it does not translate the text.
- Wikipedia: Language recognition chart presents a variety of clues to help determine the language of an unknown text.
Do I need to learn to speak a language to do genealogical research in the language?
The simple answer is no. Genealogical research into old documents and records does not require a speaking ability. Taking classes in an ancestor’s original language can be helpful, but most research will be into old documents and records where a modern language course would have limited assistance.
MyHeritage’s Global Name Translation Technology™ is helpful if your ancestor’s name is in a language you don’t know. It automatically identifies variations of the names you’re searching for, whether it’s a nickname, another version of the same name, or even the name written using a different alphabet.[1]
What should I learn first about a language new to me?
The study of old handwriting is called palaeography. You can begin some research by using online resources such as genealogical word lists[2] and charts showing the letter forms. A search online for a specific language’s alphabet chart will produce a lot of examples. On the right is an alphabet chart for the old German script as an example.[3]
If you need further help reading the old handwriting, there are free online courses that provide the opportunity to learn such as the Brigham Young University Script Tutorial and the Palaeography Tutorial from the British National Archives.
Even though I speak my ancestor’s native language, I find doing research gets harder and harder as I go back in time. Why is this?
All languages change over time. This is called linguistic drift.[4] For example, if you research records in the 17th and 18th centuries, you may find some of the language difficult to understand compared to the present day. When you go back to the 16th century and beyond, much of any language will be unfamiliar and possibly unreadable. Here is a copy of a will written in the 16th century for an example, with a partial transcription.[5]
This is the laste Will and Testament of me William
Cottreill ~ ~ ~ of the parish of S[ain]t Margaret[e]s next the
Citty of Rochester. Butt of & belonging to his
Ma[jes]ties Shipp the Royall Severaigne made and
declared as followeth (that is to say) Aswell to the
intent that Elizabeth Proby of St Margaret[e]s
aforesaid victualer may bee truly payd the sum[m]e
of Five pownds of lawfull money of England
which I owe unto her, and is secured by my
obligac[i]on bearing even date with these p[re]sent[e]s
As also for the love & affecc[i]on which I beare
unto her I give and bequeath unto her the
said Elizabeth Proby all such sum[m]e & sumes of
If you use the available online resources and other examples of transcriptions, the task of transcribing and understanding such documents becomes possible.
Explore more about researching in another language
Here is a list of some useful resources for identifying and learning an unfamiliar language.
Overcoming Language Barriers in Family History Research at MyHeritage Knowledge Base
New Feature: Global Name Translation™ Technology at MyHeritage Blog
New: Global Name Translation™ for DNA Matches at MyHeritage Blog
What If You Don’t Speak Your Ancestors’ Language? Foreign Language Resources by James Tanner on BYU Family History Library YouTube Channel
The National Archives - Palaeography at The National Archives
The First 5 Steps You Should Take When Learning A New Language at Babbel Magazine
But I Don’t Speak the Language at Genealogy.com
- ↑ “Overcoming Language Barriers in Family History Research.” MyHeritage Knowledge Base. Accessed March 27, 2023.
- ↑ “Genealogical Word Lists.” 2022. FamilySearch Wiki. December 19, 2022.
- ↑ “Old Script Germanic Alphabet Chart Free Download.” 2020. Family Tree Magazine. September 1, 2020.
- ↑ “Edward Sapir: Language: Chapter 7: Language as a Historical Product: Drift.” n.d. Accessed March 27, 2023.
- ↑ “KENT_A4.JPG (1603×2475).” n.d. Accessed March 27, 2023.